---------------------
Jordan Oroshiba --- Roadie invading Triathlete space for knowledge access
Login required to started new threads
Login required to post replies
Adaptation of muscle coordination to altered task
mechanics during steady-state cycling
http://www.me.utexas.edu/...Papers/job33(2b).pdf
"It is also interesting to note that all the muscle
coordination adaptation occurred in the transition
muscles, and not the power muscles. These results suggest
that the transition muscles play an important role in
adapting to changing pedaling conditions and "fine-tuning
muscle coordination while the functional role of the
power producing muscles is more elementary and governed
by the task mechanics."
I also found it interesting they observed that the adaptation, even with a fairly large ovality ring, occurred quickly (within 10-20 pedal strokes), which matches what I've felt when riding around and switching back and forth between a round and non-round ring.
I'm gradually coming to the conclusion that a better name for these things would be "Placebo Rings"... :-/
Nice find. I note that they also show decreased power applied at the dead spot , and increased at 90 degrees though. (Figure 3) It appears to be in equal proportions which makes sense, essentially it is still a 53t chainring turning at a certain number of rpm. However if the power you can apply at the "dead spot" that was a limiter (as might be the case in lower inertial states such as riding a trainer or climbing a mountain?), then I could see how overall power could go up. Based on this figure it certainly does one thing they claim it does, increase power in the "power phase" and decrease it in the "dead spot." From my understanding of the analysis they are examining to offset and onset of muscle use to see if the total area of use is changed, not how much force is applied in that spot. Given the very nature of the motion of the leg still being the same I cannot see how anyone would really expect this to change very much. I could be mistaken as I really don't know much about biomechanics and my limited understanding of it comes from trying to interpret articles such as these, and having more knowledgeable people correct me.